I wish I could see the film depicted on the poster.
The film is much more subdued. The sequence depicted on the poster is much more modest and shot with camera angles that only hint at what is going on. Thank the Motion Picture Production Code.
Directed by William Witney, written by Arthur T. Horman. Cinematography by Jack A. Marta, this is a Republic Picture Noir.
Young And Wild stars a bunch of actors you know better from 50s and 60s TV. Gene Evans as Det. Sgt. Fred Janusz, Scott Marlowe as Richard Edward 'Rick' Braden, Carolyn Kearney as Valerie Whitman, Robert Arthur as Jerry Coltrin, Weston Gavin as 'Allie' Allison. Tom Gilson as Bruce 'Beejay' Phillips, Ken Lynch as David Whitman, Emlen Davies as Mrs. Whitman.
The story basically is three Juvies, Rick, Allie, and Beejay out on the streets trying to score with some chicks. They are acting like typical juvies. They find trouble when they steal a 1957 Fairlane and go for a joy ride. Cruising the main stem scoping out the babes until they get hungry. They head to a burger joint The Black Kitten. There they pull up alongside a parked car and harass Valerie and her boyfriend Jerry.
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| Tom Gilson, Scott Marlowe, and Weston Gavin |
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| Joy Ride |
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| Valerie (Carolyn Kearney) |
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| Jerry Coltrin (Robert Arthur) |
When Allie and Beejay kid Rick about getting shot out of the saddle by Valerie, Rick gets a wild hair up his ass and goes after Jerry's car (another 1957 Fairlane, Ford must have been providing the cars).
Rick and his crew play chicken with Jerry and Valerie eventually running them off the road. While Allie and Beejay beat up Jerry, Rick tries to rape Valerie. Here is the tease for the poster.
A passing Ford pickup turns around on the road and heads back to where all the fun is going on. Allie and Beejay spot trouble. They grab Rick just after he's torn Valerie's top and thrown her across the front seat.
They jump back in the stolen vehicle and speed off wildly down the two lane. Allie goes through Jerry's wallet. The juvies now know the names of their victims. Coming too fast around a corner they kill a lady crossing the street with her groceries.
Jerry and Valerie report the assault to the police. The detective in charge Fred Januz (Gene Evans) questions Jerry and Valerie.
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| Det. Sgt. Fred Janusz (Gene Evans) |
Rick and the boys know they better come up with some alibis. Allie has a crooked uncle who can tell the police that they played poker together all night.
Jerry, Valerie, and Januz, find Rick's picture in a yearbook, get his address from the principal, and go to visit his mother. His mother, after the police leave, calls Rick at his place of employment and warns him of the cops visit.
Rick gives Januz the poker game alibi. Januz then goes and visits Allie's uncle and gets a slightly different version of the alibi. He tells Rick to show up for a lineup tomorrow
Later that night Rick and his buddies decide to go and terrorise Jerry and Valerie's families into not identifying Rick in the police lineups. Of course we ask ourselves why did Januz not take Rick immediately into custody, but then there would be no film.
The next day both Jerry and Valerie lie and say they don't remember seeing Rick. Januz now has to cut Rick loose. Later Jerry and Valerie find out from Januz that the same car killed a woman soon after the boys fled the scene of Valerie's attempted rape.
Rick and the boys continue to harrass Valerie and their families until the finale
Noirsville
Its a cheap programer with most of the Noir-sh content shown in the first third of the film. This Republic Pictures copy feels like a TV movie because it's a pan and scan print. The original aspect ratio 2.35 : 1 (see below) and the process was called Naturama. The film zips along with a runtime: 69 min.
Rather bland Crime genre stories like these gravitated towards the television medium in the 50s and 60s while newer angels and hooks were being exploited in the film industry with the demise of the MPPC. Worth a watch 5-6/10.
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